Have you decided to install a new pool in your garden? Have you been looking around at various pool companies and seeing what you might like? Are you close to deciding which type of pool you want and who might install it?
Before you do, can we share with you some advice we’ve learnt from over 3 decades of designing and creating over 550 gardens, many of which had pools as their central feature?
This article discusses one of the biggest problems you could end up having when you get a pool installed. Our advice could possibly save you a small fortune, stop you from wasting valuable time and in the end, help you get a garden with a pool that you love, instead of having to ‘live with’ a pool that is full of compromises.
What’s the priority – the pool or the garden?
When installing a pool in your home, it’s not uncommon for the total focus of the project to be about the pool. After all, for many people that will become the core of their new garden.
People tend to say (and think) “We’re putting in a pool” NOT “We’re getting our back garden landscaped and the main feature will be a pool”.
In other words, the pool is the primary focus and everything else is considered secondary.
Now it is true that often the pool WILL be the focus of a new garden. The decking that surrounds the pool, the outdoor kitchen that complements the pool, the fence that surrounds the pool, it can feel like all of these are only there because of the pool and that’s true.
However there’s one important thing to remember that often gets overlooked: you don’t create a landscaped garden around a pool, you place a pool into a created or designed landscape.
This is because the pool has to connect up with and work seamlessly with all the other elements of your garden. If it isn't designed this way right from the start, it can end up being far less functional and therefore less enjoyable than you wanted it to be.
How big the pool is? What type of pool it is? Precisely where will it be installed? How will the elements surrounding it be integrated with it? ALL these questions matter!
Your pool not only has to integrate into your life, it also has to integrate into your garden.
And to do that, the landscape has to be designed first.
A pool without landscaping?
Just think about what would happen for a moment if you installed a pool without any landscaping (which can happen with above-ground pools).
Imagine getting out of the pool and having no deck to relax on after a swim or to warm yourself up on before you jumped in.
Picture yourself stepping out of a pool and having to walk across a muddy back garden because there was no path to walk on back to the house.
This would never happen if you had a landscape designer design the garden for you. Then have a landscaper manage and construct the garden including running the pool installation part of the project.
This is the smart way to do it, because your landscaper designer has a 'big-picture' view of the project.
If you just installed a pool that's all you'd have - a pool. Not a garden with a pool.
Now here's the real secret to learn from this article.
If you let the pool builder run the project, they will install the pool in a way that suits them.
If you let the landscaper run the project, you will end up with a new garden and a pool that suits you!
What happens if you install the pool first?
Imagine this scenario.
You visit various pool companies. You decide on a design and style of pool you like and choose the company to install it.
The company arrives at your place, digs a great big hole in your back garden and installs the pool.
Now you ring a landscaper and tell them to come over and design a deck, garden and outdoor kitchen around the pool.
The landscape designer arrives on site, takes one look at the project and knows straight away there will be not only massive problems but huge additional expenses that would never have been incurred if the garden had been designed first to incorporate the pool.
For a start, the designer knows that there is not enough room between the pool and the house for the type of deck the client has in mind. Also because the pool chosen is too wide it is too close to the existing fence, which is not an approved style of pool safety fence so the whole fence will have to be pulled down and a new one put up, as opposed to just having a pool safety fence installed.
A large feature tree which is a favourite of the client will either have to be removed or have half its branches removed as it’s a safety hazard that could allow kids to climb over the pool fence. The edge of the pool requires a retaining wall because of the slope of the block, but it's been installed too close to an easement which adds further complications.
(For a detailed case history of what can happen when the pool is installed without co-ordination with the landscaping company read this article - Getting things right with your pool installation )
The moral of the story is that a landscaper looks at your new garden as an integrated whole design. The pool is a critical element of that design, but the other elements are equally important because they contribute to the enjoyment of a pool.
Scheduling, timing, coordination.
A pool installation goes through various stages. So does creating a garden.
It’s almost NEVER a case of ‘the pool goes in and THEN the landscaping begins’. Nor is it, all the landscaping work goes in then the pool is just dropped into place.
Creating the garden and installing the pool are two projects that can often occur with overlapping steps.
There can be several preparation steps that need to be done BEFORE the pool goes in.
There can also be several landscaping steps that need to be done while the pool is being installed. Or steps that need to be started before the pool is finished.
Often these steps can relate to saving time and getting the project completed sooner OR possibly saving money by doing something more cost effectively or not being delayed or having to pay extra.
The aesthetics of a pool
It’s not just the practicalities and costs of having a pool installed in the wrong location there is also the aesthetics of the whole thing.
A pool should add an enormous amount of aesthetic appeal to a house and garden.
But if it looks like it’s just not in the right place or if some opportunity to add additional elements to complement it was lost, then you can lose a lot of potential aesthetic appeal.
You could also make the mistake of installing the wrong size or type of pool for your garden.
A fibreglass pool company is never going to tell you that your project is more suited to a concrete pool. And neither would a concrete pool installer tell you to consider a fibreglass pool.
Everyone will always chase an outcome that best suits them. So you could end up with the wrong type of pool.
At Whyte Gardens, we are pool ‘neutral’. We’ll design a garden for you and recommend which type of pool it should be, based on our understanding of the project, your budget, your needs and what pool would best suit your property or your garden conditions.
Now we are NOT saying that all pool companies are villains. We are not. There are many great pool companies out there who we have worked with and had an excellent working relationship with.
But ultimately pool companies know about pools. Landscape designers and landscapers know about gardens AND pools and how they both work together.
Pool installers can’t project manage a landscaping job but landscapers can manage both a pool installation project AND a landscaping job, simply because of their experience.
Having your landscaper manage the entire landscaping project, including co-ordinating with the pool installer will increase the chance of a very successful project with a pool that meets your needs, with very little time or money wasted along the way.
It will also maximise your enjoyment of your pool and your garden.
Letting the pool installer manage the project can lead to disasters, added time and extra cost and you could easily end up with a garden (and pool) that is well below your expectations.
The solution?
- Always choose your landscape designer, before you choose your pool.
- Always engage your landscape designer as the project manager.
- Don’t let your pool installer become a defacto project manager or let the pool installer set the schedule or tell you “The landscaper can work around me”.
If you choose a good landscape designer and landscaper you will get someone who will co-ordinate with your pool installer and ensure the project runs smoothly.
You will end up with a pool that is much more enjoyable, a garden that works and functions and is pleasurable and aesthetic.
How to ensure the project is managed correctly
Now say you have chosen a landscape designer and landscaper and a pool company. But you didn’t realise that the landscaper should be project managing the job. Because you’ve signed a contract with the pool installer, they have a direct relationship with you.
The salesman at the pool company is under pressure to get the pool installed so the company can get paid. Often this means they will pass that pressure on to you. They may tell you ‘Don’t worry about the landscaper that can all be done after we install the pool’.
To avoid this, insist the pool company liaise with the landscaper. Once you’ve signed the contract with the pool company you can simply tell them to deal with the landscaper in terms of scheduling the installation, etc
If you have any other queries in regards to this whole area you might find it helpful to read this article - Who manages contractors in a landscaping project
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Integrating Your Pool into Your Landscape: A Comprehensive Guide
How to get things right with your pool installation
If you'd like to find out more about how we manage the design of a new garden and oversee and manage its construction, including project managing the pool installation, please book a free, no-obligation consultation with us. Click below:
